Family seeks Good Samaritan who helps save skateboarder's life

"I want to say thank you...from the bottom of my heart from my whole family." cried Burt Rivera, a grief stricken father desperate to find a Good Samaritan he says helped save his son's life after a devastating skateboarding accident on Tuesday evening.

"I just want to give her a hug and say thank you - if it wasn't for her...who knows what we'd be dealing with right now." Rivera said.

Rivera is a retired firefighter. His 20 year-old son Dane is fighting for his life at UCLA Medical Center after suffering a massive head injury when he lost control of his skateboard on this busy Santa Monica street...and crashed into a brick wall. Rivera was not wearing a helmet.

"He's fighting them hard...it's hour by hour but we're hopeful." said Rivera.

There were no witnesses but neighbor Joan Van Tassel heard the commotion and ran outside to see what happened. "He was laying like this...and they picked him up and there was an ambulance right there." said Van Tassel.

Joan Van Tassel took these snaps as Dane was being loaded into the ambulance. She also happened to take a picture of the mystery woman first responder's credit with saving Dane's life.

"There is a woman in scrubs picking up the skateboard." Van Tassel said.

"She was making sure that his airway stayed clear of blood. She was definitely instrumental in contacting 911 and getting the family notified right away and giving us a full report." said first responder and paramedic with the Santa Monica Fire Department, Tim Wenger.

But in the midst of the chaos, medics did not get the woman's contact information.

The Rivera family posted signs at the accident site and reached out to FOX 11 in hopes of giving a proper thank you to the woman they describe as an angel.

"I frankly don't think he'd be alive if it wasn't for her, I believe she was an angel." said Rivera.

If you know this woman - FOX 11 would like to hear from you! Please call our assignment desk at: (310) 584-2025 or e-mail: news@fox11.com.

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